Java Developer

Java Developer

Location:   McLean, VA

Duration: 12+ Months

Rate:  $ DOE

Required Experience & Education

• 7–10 years of professional software development experience.
• Bachelor''s degree in Computer Science or a related field (or equivalent experience).

Must-Have Qualifications

• 7+ years of hands-on Java development experience.
• Strong expertise in Java 8+ with preference for Java 21 and experience upgrading or migrating applications across Java versions.
• Strong hands-on experience with relational databases (RDBMS).
• Experience building enterprise backend applications and RESTful APIs.
• Proven experience with Spring Framework and Spring Boot.
• Preferred experience with Snowflake, Python, AI research, and financial services domain.

Core Technical Skills

• Strong professional experience in Java backend development.
• Expertise in Java including I/O, multithreading/concurrency, collections, generics, lambda expressions, and modern Java features.
• Experience designing, developing, and consuming RESTful API web services.
• Strong knowledge of Spring Framework, Spring Boot, and Dependency Injection.
• Proficiency with build and testing tools including Maven, Gradle, JUnit, Mockito, and FitNesse.
• Proven ability to perform AI-driven research and development, including evaluating AI-assisted approaches, rapid prototyping, prompt engineering, model/tool evaluation, and integrating AI capabilities into applications and workflows.
• Excellent analytical, troubleshooting, and problem-solving skills.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills with the ability to explain technical concepts to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.

Database & Data Skills

• Strong experience with relational databases and data modeling.
• Advanced SQL skills for reporting, troubleshooting, and data analysis.
• Experience working with structured and semi-structured data formats including XML and JSON.
• Experience with Snowflake is preferred.

DevOps / SDLC / Tools

• Understanding of Docker containers and containerized development.
• Understanding of Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC) and Application Lifecycle Management (ALM).
• Experience using CI/CD pipelines and tools such as Jenkins and Jira.
• Experience with Git and collaborative source control workflows.

Java 21 Migration & Preferred Skills

• Experience upgrading or migrating enterprise applications to Java 21 or other recent Long-Term Support (LTS) versions.
• Experience performing dependency and build upgrades using Maven or Gradle.
• Experience conducting compatibility testing and resolving migration-related issues.
• Knowledge of Java performance tuning and runtime optimization.
• Python experience, particularly for AI/ML development, automation, and scripting.
• Financial services industry experience is preferred.

Soft Skills

• Flexible and adaptable, with the ability to work effectively across multiple projects and changing priorities.
• Self-motivated with strong ownership and accountability.
• Strong collaboration and teamwork skills.
• Ability to quickly learn new technologies and contribute in fast-paced environments.